


Chasing Yesterday

by hunnywrites



Series: Days of Thunder [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-10-20 15:10:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20677439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunnywrites/pseuds/hunnywrites
Summary: A collection of one shots written about Billy and Teddi that don't quite fit in Arcade Dreams.





	1. Monsters Under the Bed

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So, I have a bunch of these little blurbs that I want to write for Billy and Teddi that don’t exactly fit into Arcade Dreams, so I’m gonna post them here! They won’t be in any sort of chronological order, and I won’t post any that contain major spoilers for the fic. This one takes place after season three and after the events of Arcade Dreams because…well, I mean it’s no secret these two are gonna end up together. Hope you enjoy it!

“You know,” Teddi said, applying a bit of mascara in the visor mirror of Billy’s Camaro. “If you don’t like babysitting, you don’t  _ have _ to come with me when I babysit.” she shot him a playful look. Her legs were thrown over Billy’s lap, and Billy’s hand was mindlessly running up and down the length of her thigh as he drove. They were headed to the Wheeler’s for the night. Karen had asked Teddi to babysit Holly for a few hours while she and Ted went out for a date night. When Teddi told Billy she’d be gone for awhile he had pouted until she finally said he could tag along. 

“What else am I supposed to do? Sit around at home alone all night?” he said with a small scoff. If he ever had a night off when Teddi was working at the arcade he’d take Max and hang out until it was time for her to go home. Maybe they were too attached to each other or something. He didn’t really care. “Besides, it can’t be that bad, can it? Definitely not worse than babysitting Sinclair’s little sister.” he muttered. Teddi had babysat for Erica a few times and it had always gone pretty well, all things considered. Billy had joined her once and Erica had relentlessly bullied Billy to the point where they were arguing with each other nearly every five minutes. Needless to say, Teddi went solo to the Sinclair’s from that point on. 

Teddi laughed and shook her head. “Definitely not that bad. Holly’s a sweetheart. Just no flirting with Mrs. Wheeler this time.” she warned, nudging him with her knee.

Billy smirked. “Me? I’m harmless.”

Teddi rolled her eyes. “ _ Nothing _ about you is harmless, Hargrove,” when they pulled up to the Wheeler’s house Teddi slid gracefully out of her seat and started up the walkway to the front door before turning around and pointing a stern finger at Billy. “ _ Behave yourself _ .” 

Billy flicked the butt of what would probably be his last cigarette for the next few hours into the driveway and watched Teddi as she walked up ahead of him. She was wearing a hot pink tank top (she’d never admit to it but Billy had come to realize it was her favorite color), black cut off shorts and his denim jacket. She had rolled up the sleeves in an attempt to make it fit a little better. “Can’t make any promises…” he muttered to himself before slamming the car door shut and following after his girlfriend. 

Mike answered the door. “Hey Ted- what’s  _ he _ doing here?” he asked, looking Billy up and down with an unimpressed look. The kids had more or less warmed up to Billy over the last few months, but sometimes they still butted heads. Mike especially. “Can’t she do anything without you stalking her around?” 

Billy opened his mouth to snap back a response, but Teddi nudged him in the side with her elbow. “He’s not gonna be a problem, Wheeler, relax. I already told him I’m not splitting my money with him. Where’s your mom?” 

Mike rolled his eyes and stepped aside to let Teddi and Billy in. “She had to leave early. She paid me twenty bucks to keep an eye on Holly until you got here.”he explained, turning towards the stairs. “ _ Holly _ ! Teddi’s here!” he yelled up the steps, making both Billy and Teddi jump at the volume of his voice. “I’m going to the arcade, later!” he brushed past the pair and was outside before Teddi could get a goodbye out. 

Billy awkwardly stood in the entryway as the sound of tiny, running feet grew closer and closer. Soon Holly came running down the stairs, her pigtails swinging wildly as she made a beeline for Teddi. “Teddi, Teddi, Teddi!” she squealed, jumping into the older girl’s arms. 

Teddi caught her effortlessly before placing a kiss on Holly’s cheek. “What’s up, munchkin? How ya been?” she asked, holding up her hand for Holly to give her a high five. Holly giggled out a ‘good’ before her eyes fell on Billy. Her smile faltered a little before she gave Teddi an unsure look. Billy almost immediately wished that he’d just stayed home for the night. 

He wasn’t terrible with kids. Teddi was always reminding him of that. He’d been great with the kids in his swim classes back when he worked at the pool. But that was different. He had authority there. Now he was just some random guy impeding on Holly’s time with Teddi. “Holly, this is Billy. He’s gonna help me watch you tonight, okay?” Holly eyed Billy for a moment longer before whispering something in Teddi’s ear. Teddi only laughed and nodded. “Yeah, he’s my boyfriend,” 

This seemed to appease Holly. She smiled over at Billy, and Teddi mouthed ‘high five’ to him. He let out a small chuckle, holding up his hand in offering to the five year old. Her smile grew wider as she gave him a surprisingly forceful high five before Teddi set her back down. “Alright, Holly Jolly, how ‘bout you go pick out a movie and I’ll get some snacks?” she asked. And like a flash Holly was off once again. Teddi laughed softly, turning to Billy. “See? She’s a sweetheart.”

“Yeah, she’s a pretty cute kid I guess,” he shrugged as he followed Teddi into the kitchen. He watched her as she seamlessly moved around the room, grabbing two coke cans and a bag of popcorn before throwing it into the microwave. “When’d you get so good at all this?” he asked with an amused look. Teddi grabbed a sippy cup from one of the cabinets and filled it with apple juice for Holly.

“What? Babysitting?” she asked, Billy nodded. Teddi shrugged. “I’ve kinda always had a knack for kids I guess? I’ve been doing this since I was like...thirteen for the extra cash before I could get a real job.” having a knack for it was putting it a little lightly if you asked Billy. He didn’t think there was a kid in Hawkins that didn’t absolutely love Teddi. Even Erica Sinclair liked her. She had this mothering instinct that was almost like a second nature. He’d even been on the receiving end of it after he had come home from the hospital last summer.

He didn’t really know what it was that was triggering such a...weird response from him while he watched her ready their movie snacks. He’d seen her with kids before. At the arcade and the pool and all the babysitting jobs he tagged along on. But there was just something about tonight, watching her walk around the Wheeler’s house like she owned the place and seeing Holly settled against her hip that was just… “Are you gonna ask me to have one of these things?” he blurted out.

Teddi momentarily paused as she was pouring the popcorn out into a bowl and turned to look at Billy with a raised eyebrow. “One of these  _ things _ ?” she repeated incredulously. Billy only motioned his hand back towards the den where Holly was waiting for them. Teddi laughed. “We’re  _ 18 _ , Billy.” 

But not for much longer. Billy’s 19th birthday was in a week. And between that and the fact that they lived on their own and had actual real jobs (aside from Teddi’s babysitting, but jumping at the chance for extra cash was gonna be a hard habit for her to break) Billy was suddenly faced with the fact that they weren’t kids anymore. He felt like if he blinked suddenly he and Teddi would be married and popping out kids. He was starting to feel a little sweaty. 

“Yeah, but didn’t Karen have Nancy young or whatever?” he asked as casually as he could, pulling off his leather jacket in an attempt to cool off. 

Teddi turned to look at Billy with a concerned look. “...Are you freaking out right now?” this happened sometimes now. Ever since the Mind Flayer, Billy had been known to have panic attacks. Thankfully so far they hadn’t been too bad. They were the worst at night when he’d have the occasional nightmare. But they weren’t anything Teddi couldn’t talk him through. 

She knew that Billy was embarrassed by them. He thought they made him look weak. It was hard to try and make him see the panic attacks in the same way as the scar that ran down his chest. It was a battle wound. They just needed some time to heal.

Teddi took Billy’s face in her hands. He shut his eyes and leaned into her hand. He tried to focus on the feel of the cool metal of the ring on her thumb. It had belonged to him. He’d given it to her about a month before. “Babe, this isn’t something we even have to think about for a  _ looong _ time, okay? Just  _ breathe _ . Trust me, I’m not gonna be asking you to knock me up any time soon,” she said with a small laugh. “It’s sweet that you think about this kinda stuff though.” 

The wave of anxiety had passed just as quickly as it had come when he heard her comment. “I’m not  _ sweet _ .” Billy argued, pouting down at Teddi. She playfully rolled her eyes and went back to her tasks. 

Teddi grabbed the bowl of popcorn and Holly’s sippy cup and smiled back at him. “You totally are. You’re a big ‘ol softy,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at him before heading back to the den. Billy chuckled and shook his head, grabbing the cokes and following after her. Holly was hopping around the room with a VHS in her hands. “What’d ya pick, Munchkin?” Teddi asked, setting the snacks down on the coffee table. Holly proudly held up the copy of The Dark Crystal. “Perfect choice! Teddi said. “A girl after my own heart.” 

Billy plopped down on the couch with a groan. “Is this another one of those nerd movies?” he nearly whined. The looks that Holly and Teddi shot him made him hold in any other comments he had. So instead he only muttered quietly to himself. 

“I wanna sit next to Billy.” Holly announced, jumping up onto the couch and settling in next to him. Teddi couldn’t help but smile at the surprised, but slightly proud look on Billy’s face that came from Holly’s approval. She settled in on Holly’s other side, giving one of Billy’s knuckles an affectionate bite as he wrapped his arm around her. 

He didn’t end up hating the movie quite as much as he thought he would. That was usually the case when it came to movies that Teddi liked, much as he hated to admit it. He’d been a little worried about Holly watching it in the beginning though. It seemed pretty intense for a kid her age. But the way that the tiny girl watched in unblinking awe showed him that Holly Wheeler was a bit more tough than he had ever expected. He sure as hell would’ve been scared of the Skeksis at her age. 

By the end of the movie he had two crying girls on his hands. Teddi did that a lot with movies. He’d practically been traumatized from the time she convinced him to watch E.T. and had been sobbing so hard she could barely speak by the end of it. “...This is happy tears, right?” he asked cautiously. “That was a happy ending, wasn’t it?” Holly and Teddi both let out sad little sniffs and nodded. He’d never understand women. No matter the age. 

“Stupid movie gets me every time…” Teddi sniffed again, wiping at the tears on her cheeks. “Okay, Hol. I think it’s time for bed, huh? We gotta get you to sleep before your mom and dad get home.” 

Holly shook her head wildly as her expression grew into one of worry. “No, no, no. I don’t wanna.” Teddi frowned down at her. Usually she didn’t have any issues with getting Holly to go to bed. She picked up Holly, pressing her forehead against hers. 

“And how come? You’re already up past your bedtime, missy.” 

Holly curled up against Teddi as if to shield herself from something. “The wall monster,” she whispered, pouting up at Teddi. “I don’t want it to get me like it did Will.” 

Teddi looked over at Billy, her mouth opening and closing as she thought of what to say. Of course kids were scared of monsters hiding under their bed at night. He and Teddi both had been afraid themselves as kids. But for Holly to be afraid of a  _ Demogorgon _ , much less know what it  _ was _ was something neither of them had been expecting. And Teddi would definitely need to have a talk with Mike. 

“A wall monster, huh?” Billy asked. “I don’t know if Teddi’s told you, Hol, but I’ve slayed a couple of monsters before. So how ‘bout you and I go up to your room and make sure the coast is clear, huh?” 

Holly looked up at Teddi uneasily before finally nodding. Teddi passed Holly over to Billy, and the three headed upstairs towards her room. Convincing a kid that there was no such thing as the boogeyman was one thing. Convincing a girl that had  _ seen  _ a monster before was completely different. Billy was almost four times her age and even  _ he _ was afraid of the things that went bump in The Upside Down.

Holly’s arms tightened around Billy’s neck the closer they got to her bedroom. He carefully nudged the door open all the way, the pair of them peering in slowly. When he was sure that she saw the coast was clear he set her down. Teddi and Holly both watched from the doorway as Billy searched the length of her room for any sign of monsters. “See, Hol? No monsters. I even checked under the bed,” Holly eyed her room a little warily before she finally nodded. “If you hear anything and get scared you just call downstairs for me, okay?”

Teddi could nearly feel her heart swell as she watched Billy and Holly. This was what she loved so much about him. Deep down Billy was such a genuinely  _ sweet _ guy underneath the bad boy exterior and the deep seeded emotional trauma. She sort of couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like to have a little Billy or Teddi running around. But not for a long, _ long _ time. 

“What do you say, Munchkin? You ready to brush your teeth?” she asked, placing a comforting hand on the top of Holly’s head. Holly only nodded before running off down the hall. “ _ Thank you _ .” she whispered to Billy before taking off after her. 

Billy headed back downstairs, plopping down onto the couch in the den and flipping through the channels until Teddi finally returned. She let out a heavy sigh, flopping down next to him and throwing her legs over his lap. “She in bed?” he asked, absently running his hand up and down her leg once again. 

Teddi nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. “See what I told you? You’re a big ol’ softy,” she teased. Billy let out a short laugh and shook his head. “That was adorable! I don’t think I’m gonna be able to babysit her anymore without Billy the Monster Slayer coming with me.”

“Well, I  _ am _ a monster slayer.” 

Teddi looked up at Billy, chewing on her bottom lip to try and keep herself from smiling. “You know, all of that up there with Holly...maybe I do have a little bit of baby fever…” Billy visibly froze before he looked over at her with wide eyes. Teddi laughed. “Sorry, sorry. I was just kidding. You make it too easy sometimes.” Billy scoffed, pushing Teddi’s legs off his lap dramatically and crossing his arms. She only giggled. “Awww, come on, babe. I’m just playing around,” she pouted. “I will say, though... it’s always pretty  _ hot  _ when you get all protective like that.” 

Billy groaned. “Woman, stop teasing me. I know you’re not gonna fool around with the kid upstairs.” 

“No…” she mused, resting her chin on his shoulder and giving his jawline a quick nip. “But I didn’t say anything about once we got home.” Teddi smiled up at him, her nose scrunching slightly. Billy’s pout almost immediately fell, and he turned to look at her, his eyes twinkling ever so slightly. 

“You’re a pain in my ass, Weird Girl.” he teased, his hand gently cupped her cheek, slowly inching back into her hair as he pulled her in for a kiss. Teddi let out a content hum, her arms wrapping around his neck.

“Billy!” a tiny voice called from upstairs. Billy groaned and pulled away from Teddi, resting his forehead against hers and letting out a sigh. 

Teddi let out a soft laugh. “Duty calls, Monster Slayer.” 


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy and Teddi have met before, they just don’t remember it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that Teddi and Billy are a perfect match, and part of that means that they’re both such dumb, drunken thots that they’ve literally made out before and have no memory of it. This is 100% canon to Arcade Dreams and it’s probably gonna come up at some point when one of them remembers it happened. It’s a little on the short side, but I hope you enjoy!

Teddi was drunk. She was definitely supposed to keep herself from drinking too much. That had sort of always been a problem. She could probably count on one hand the amount of times she’d gone to a party and only had a beer or two before cutting herself off for the night. She wanted to blame whoever it was that had spiked the punch. She’d been about three solo cups in before she realized there was any alcohol in it and by then she had no plans to slow down. 

Her friend Samantha had given her a ride and promised to be the designated driver, but Teddi had lost her about an hour ago. Now she was all alone, dancing in a sea of costumed teenagers that filled the living room. It had been a last minute decision to come to the Halloween party. Sam said it would be a good way to meet people since Teddi was new in school and in the two weeks since Teddi had moved to Hawkins she had been spending most of her time working at the Palace Arcade. So she needed some down time. 

With such little time to plan Teddi had settled on an Alice in Wonderland costume. It was something simple she could put together quickly and she wouldn’t need to wear a stupid wig that would get her all hot throughout the night. She’d been a little worried the other’s at the party might think it was childish, but after a few glasses of punch she didn’t really care about anything anymore. 

She had lied to her mom about where she would be that night. Her dad would have to be at work early the next morning, so Teddi told her that the arcade was open late for Halloween and that she wouldn’t be home until well after the two of them were already in bed. If she snuck into her room quietly enough neither of them would be bothered enough to care about whether she made it home safely or not. 

Teddi definitely didn’t want a repeat of last year. She’d been twice as drunk and had the bright idea of sneaking a boy back home with her. Her father had caught them climbing in through her bedroom window and she’d had her van taken away for the two following months and her dad had threatened to send her to one of those church reform camps that people sent their pregnant teenage daughters or other delinquent teens in order to straighten them out. 

But that didn’t mean that boys were  _ completely _ out of the question. She had promised herself to stay away from boys while she was in Hawkins. She didn’t need the extra grief, and if things went how she hoped they would she would be out of that shitty town in a few months. But the alcohol made that sort of thing easy to forget. 

There was Steve. He was cute and nice and they’d spoken a few times before. But he was with Nancy Wheeler (although from the looks of things at the party Teddi didn’t think they were going to last much longer) and Teddi wasn’t into flirting with anyone that was taken. There was this guy that she had flirted with over by the punch bowl that was dressed like Dracula. She was pretty sure his name was Nick or something. But there was really no telling what he really looked like under all that makeup and Teddi didn’t really wanna take the chance. 

She made her way back into the kitchen to ladle more of the orange punch into her plastic cup. Her head was bobbing along to the music, I Was Made for Lovin’ You by Kiss, when she felt a hand at her waist. “‘Scuse me, Doll.” a deep and slightly slurred voice said from behind her. Teddi slid aside to let him pass. He was cute.  _ Very _ cute. She didn’t recognize him. Sandy blonde hair, a deep golden tan that she didn’t know how he could have in a town like Hawkins, blue eyes you could get lost in. What the hell was a guy like  _ that  _ doing in Indiana?

He had a joint pressed between his lips as he reached over to grab a beer bottle. Teddi looked down at his leather jacket and jeans as he slammed the beer bottle against the counter to expertly pop the cap off. “What are you even supposed to be?” she asked before she could stop herself. 

Hot blonde guy looked over at Teddi, pinching the joint between his fingers before blowing out a cloud of smoke. “...I’m one of those Outsiders guys.” he said with a smirk. Teddi didn’t really believe him. It seemed like Halloween was just an opportunity for him to go out shirtless. 

“Oh yeah?” she asked with a smile. “Which one?” 

His smirk grew into a grin. “Which one do you want me to be?” 

Teddi let out a snort. “ _ Smooth _ .” 

Blondie looked Teddi up and down quickly before holding out his joint in offering. Teddi scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “What are you, like a nun or something?” he asked with a teasing tone. 

“I’m just trying not to get like...completely fucked up.” she said with a shrug. Between the slightly red ring around his eyes and the smell of beer wafting off him, Teddi figured he probably wasn’t looking at his night quite the same way. But Teddi couldn’t imagine what might happen on the off chance that her father caught her sneaking in smelling like alcohol  _ and _ weed. She’d definitely get shipped off to church camp. 

He only smirked down at her before taking a swig of his beer. “Whatever you say, Princess.”

Teddi bit her bottom lip. “...I should go find my friend.” she lied. There was something about this guy that screamed ‘bad idea’ to Teddi. It was like sneaking out. She knew it was a stupid idea. She would get in trouble for it. But did she do it anyways? Of course. Maybe her costume was more appropriate than she had realized. She was about to drop down the rabbit hole. 

“You need help findin’ her?” he asked, watching her with this heavy lidded expression that made Teddi’s stomach flip like that feeling you get during a drop on a roller coaster. Teddi didn’t say anything, she only nodded. Blondie dropped his joint inside his beer bottle and wrapped a gloved hand around her wrist before leaving the kitchen and weaving their way through the crowd around them. Teddi gave a pathetic attempt to actually look for any sign of Sam, but quickly gave up. The pair came to a stop at the top of the stairs.

“Huh...not up here…” Teddi chirped as Blondie turned towards her. They moved at the same time. Teddi wrapped her arms around his neck while his hands found an almost bruising grip on her waist. She let out a shameless moan when their lips met roughly. Whoever this guy was, Teddi was firm in her decision that he had to be the best kisser in both Indiana  _ and _ New York combined. He wasn’t all grabby hands and teeth like most guys got when things started to get heated. 

Blondie picked Teddi up, nestling himself between her legs as she locked her ankles around his waist. He groaned as Teddi took his bottom lip between her teeth. Teddi has told herself she wasn’t going to mess with boys while she was in Hawkins. She told herself there wasn’t going to be any repeats of last Halloween. But this guy was making her rethink all of that. He would definitely be worth the risk.

But all good things must sadly come to an end. “Teddi! Come on, dude, you said no guys!” Teddi pulled away from Blondie at the sound of her friend’s voice. Teddi blinked wildly as she tried to come back down to reality while Blondie glared over at Sam, licking Teddi’s sparkly, cotton candy flavored lip gloss from his bottom lip. 

“Samantha! There you are! We were looking for you!” Teddi said with a sheepish grin. 

Sam rolled her eyes. “Uh huh. I think maybe I should get you home, hun.” 

Teddi looked between her friend and Blondie before pouting a little and nodding. “Yeah, you’re right...thanks for the good time Blondie.” She pat him on the shoulder as he set her down. He mumbled a “whatever” while Teddi straighter out her dress. “Later!” Teddi said, throwing a wave over her shoulder and following Sam downstairs and outside. 

She was giggling as they made their way to Sam’s car. “Oh my  _ god _ , Sam. Who even was that guy?” 

Sam shrugged and slid into the driver’s seat. “No clue. He’s some new kid. He moved here like a week or two before you did...I think his name is Bobby or something.”

Teddi bit down on her bottom lip, which was swollen from her quick romp with “Bobby” and smiled. “I think I’m in love.” She sighed. 

Sam let out a chuckle and shook her head. “You’re  _ drunk _ .” She corrected. 

Teddi laughed and nodded, sinking in her seat. “That too.” 


	3. No Rules, Remember?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life in their new apartment isn’t quite as glamorous as Billy and Teddi imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for some new apartment fluff/shenanigans/more of Teddi’s shitty cooking, so here it is!

Teddi had never really shared her space with anyone before. With her parents it had been different. They avoided each other and Teddi was left to herself. Now she and Billy were both in their tiny apartment with not much room to escape from each other. It was a little hard to adjust to at first. Not only to learn to share her space with someone else, but to share her space with a boy. The first night had been fine. It was sort of a honeymoon period and Teddi hadn’t wanted to be apart from Billy. 

Sharing a bathroom will end a honeymoon period pretty quickly. The first issue had been the morning after they had moved in. They had decided to skip school and hang out at home. They slept in until noon. Billy was the first one to get out of bed. Teddi heard the shower start, and eventually she pulled herself out of her bed and shuffled sleepily to their tiny kitchen. She pulled out the carton of orange juice that they’d bought at Melvald’s the night before, opening it and taking a long drink. There wasn’t anyone to scold her and tell her she needed to use a glass now. 

The shower shut off. The bathroom door swung open, and a cloud of steam followed Billy. He was naked. Very, very naked. “Oh my god,” Teddi said with a gasp, slapping a hand over her eyes. “What are you doing? You- wha- cover yourself!” he didn’t. Teddi’s entire face felt like it was burning. 

“There aren’t any towels,” he said cooly. “What, we can sleep in the same bed but you can’t see me naked?” 

“You weren’t naked last night.” Teddi argued, her hand was still placed firmly over her eyes. The smell of Billy’s body wash filled her nose. Teddi peeked through her fingers to see he was now standing right in front of her, smirking. 

“You’re pretty cute when you blush, you know that?” he took the carton of orange juice from her before taking a long drink. “Drinking out of the carton, Larsson? What are you, an animal?” he teased. 

Teddi glared up at him. “We’re so going out to buy towels today. First rule of the new apartment; no walking around naked.” her cheeks were still flushed.

Billy rolled his eyes, leaning past her to set the orange juice onto the counter. “I thought the whole point of moving out was no more rules? Besides, I definitely wouldn’t care if you wanted to walk around naked,” he grinned. Teddi shot him a look. “Fiiine, I’ll get dressed. Don’t get yourself all worked up,” he walked off back towards his room, Teddi letting out a relieved sigh. “I can feel you staring at my ass, Larsson.” he called over his shoulder. Teddi shut her eyes tightly, turning away from Billy with a groan as he disappeared into his room. 

The second issue had been about a week after they had moved in. Billy had been pretty wound up tight because of his suspension from school. Teddi had been home alone for the last few hours, enjoying the freedom to watch whatever she wanted on TV. Billy had come home from his shift at the pool, and Teddi thought he looked absolutely exhausted. He dropped his duffle bag by the door, tossing his keys onto the counter and plopping down next to her with a tired sigh. Teddi threw her legs over his lap, Billy absently playing with the bottoms of her (or rather technically his) plaid pajama pants . 

“Rough day?” she asked, running her fingers through his hair before tucking it behind his ear.

“Those kids are a pain in the ass,” he muttered. “One of them bit me. And it felt like time completely stopped while I was there,” he looked over at Teddi, his eyes narrowing. She had her lips pressed tightly together, trying her hardest not to laugh. “It’s not funny, Ted.” 

Teddi covered her mouth, clearing her throat and letting out a small giggle. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny,” she scooted closer to him, resting her chin on Billy’s shoulder. She could still smell the chlorine on him. “Would it make you feel better if I took my bra off and let you feel me up?”

Billy groaned, turning and pressing his forehead to hers. “I need to shower. I got my ass out of there as soon as my shift was over. You wanna join me?” Teddi shot him a look. Billy rolled his eyes, grumbling. “‘S what I figured…” he got up, heading to the bathroom. Teddi settled onto the couch once again as she heard the shower start. “Oh no fuckin’ way!” Billy called from the other side of the door. Teddi turned, frowning at the bathroom door. 

Billy walked back out, his shirt gone and a bright blue box of tampax dangling between two of his fingers as if he was carrying something dirty. Teddi raised an eyebrow. “...Are you pluggin’, Hargrove?” she asked, trying not to smile.

Billy glared at her. “No. These were just...there. On the counter.”

“Uh...yeah. I guess I forgot to put the box back after-” Billy held his hand up to stop her. 

“I don’t need to know that kinda shit. It’s way too fucking early in for me to know when you’re...pluggin’.”

Teddi looked at Billy, her mouth hanging slightly open. “...Are you being serious?” she asked with a laugh. 

“Does it look like I’m kidding?” it didn’t. The two sat there looking at each other, the box of tampons dangling between them. Teddi couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s so funny?” Billy asked with an annoyed huff. 

“Nothing. Sometimes I just can’t believe you’re legally an adult,” Teddi walked over to him, plucking the box out of his hands. “I will hide the big, scary box of tampons. Happy?” she asked with an over dramatic eye roll. Billy only nodded, shifting a little awkwardly in the bathroom doorway. “What?” Teddi asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. 

“Is that why you’ve only been letting me go up top?” he asked, pointing to her chest. Teddi scoffed, pulling a tampon out of the box and throwing it at him. “I was just asking!” he yelled, holding his hands up to shield himself before retreating to the bathroom. 

Another issue had been Teddi’s cooking. Mainly that she was horrible at it. She was fairly certain she could burn water. Billy was pretty decent at cooking. He’d cook up breakfast for them on the weekends or maybe make dinner every once and awhile when they didn’t feel like getting take out. 

Teddi had asked him to teach her how to cook. She’d been a little surprised when he actually agreed. Billy had taken a little white and blue box of mac and cheese out of one of the cabinets and set it out on the counter. “Any idiot can make mac and cheese.” he had said. 

“...I’m not really sure I’m loving your teaching style here, Hargrove.” she said, shooting him an unimpressed look. 

Billy rolled his eyes. “You just boil the water, pour the pasta in and wait. It’s easy.” and it really should have been easy enough for her. There were a few times when Billy wanted to step in as she poked and prodded at the noodles boiling. Each time Teddi threatened to smack his hands with the wooden spoon she was holding. 

So he didn’t say anything. He was quiet when she let the noodles cook too long, and he was quiet when she didn’t drain all of the water. Teddi split her freshly cooked meal into two bowls, the two of them heading over to the couch to watch TV while they ate. Teddi scooped up a spoon full of the macaroni and cheese, turning her spoon over and letting it fall back into the bowl with a slap. “...It’s a little runny.” she finally said. 

Billy grabbed a bottle of hot sauce he’d pulled out of the fridge, nearly dousing his dinner in it. Teddi watched almost holding her breath as she watched him shovel it into his mouth. He shrugged. “Tastes good to me.” was all he said. 

Teddi watched him with narrow eyes. “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?” she asked. 

Billy rolled his eyes, shoveling more mac and cheese into his mouth. “Would I lie about something like that?” he had a point there. Teddi made a face, looking down at her own dinner before taking a careful bite. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d ever had. “...You’ll get the hang of it, Larsson. You worry too much.”

Again, he had a point. 

Teddi never completely got the hang of it. It was like a really lame superpower; no matter what it was she’d cook Teddi would find something to mess up. But every time she did cook there would be Billy, shoveling his food in like it was the best thing he’d ever tasted. And Teddi never really knew if he was lying or not. 

But even after all of this and the countless other things they did to irritate each other, they both loved their shitty little apartment that was in the middle of nowhere. It was theirs. There weren’t any rules or anyone telling them what to do. Billy and Teddi were finally home.


End file.
